(The qibla as a forced perspective into infinity. Image by RUX.)

The Vanishing Mosque is a winning proposal by RUX in the Design as Reform competition organized by the Dubai-based Traffic Gallery.


(Image by RUX.)

Rather than a physical building, this mosque creates a place of worship in the spaces between buildings whose qibla is formed by skewering the urban grid to “forg[e] a forced perspective view in the direction of Mecca.”

Rather than an impervious (or quasi-impervious) block, it is “seamless with [the] streets, connected directly to the pulse of daily, and open to anyone and everyone at anytime.” At other times, it functions as an outdoor plaza.


(Image by RUX.)


(Below the raised platform is the ablution pool. Image by RUX.)

“The inside of The Vanishing Mosque is its outside,” writes RUX. “Its community extends to the limits of the city at large, creating a sense of shared ownership, collective identity, and deep roots that connect spiritual life to modern urban living.”

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(Via @SubMedina via @loudpaper.)